Oakeshott takes on grid

Rob Oakeshott wants to stop states owning and also regulating monopolies.
AFR

by
Marcus Priest

NSW independent MP
Rob Oakeshott
has launched a bid to strip the states of their ability to rule on electricity markets and limit the scope of appeals against the Australian Energy Regulator.

Releasing a draft private members bill to make the National Electricity Law an Act of the federal Parliament rather than state law, Mr Oakeshott said there was a clear conflict in states owning and regulating monopolies. The bill is an attempt to break the deadlock of proposed changes to electricity rules, which all states will need to agree to through the Council of Australian Government later this year. “The current National Electricity Law is a national law in name only – that has to change so that much fairer pricing rules can be implemented," he said. “Electricity prices are largely set under state-based rules for regulating electricity monopolies, and have increased massively with little or no compensation of consumers. States Governments have been the only winners." Network costs account for 60 per cent of retail electricity price rises.